While his mates slog it out in the hope of a place on the European Tour, Gareth Maybin is enjoying an extended break at his Ballyclare home.

The 29-year-old neatly avoided the perils of Qualifying School by making sure of his tour card with a fourth place finish on the Challenge Tour's Order of Merit.

So although his thoughts will be with good friends Michael Hoey, Michael McGeady and Jonny Caldwell who are all vying for their cards at Catalunya this week, he is enjoying his time off at home.

"It's nice not to have to worry about it and be able to plan what I'm going to be doing next year," he said.

"Right now I'm spending time at home, doing a little work in the gym and doing a little practice."

He may enjoy himself while he can because once the action does start, it's a fairly hectic schedule ahead.

First up he heads to Hong Kong in a couple of weeks for his first tournament of the new season.

The following week it's off to Melbourne for the Sportsbet Australian Masters. He'll stay Down Under for a week before heading to two tournaments in consecutive weeks in South Africa.

It's important for him to earn as much prize-money as possible in that initial burst because there follows a run of tournaments in the Far East where he is unlikely to make the field with the likes of Phil Mickelson, accepting big appearance fees to play.

As Hoey can testify after gaining his card in 2005 only to lose it by the end of that season, it can be tough going to make the top 115 on the money list to survive at the highest level.

Maybin's top ten ranking on the Challenge Tour last year means that, the Majors and World Golf Championships apart, he gets into pretty much everything else.

His Qingdao Open tournament win in China in September was the critical point of his season, catapulting him to the top of the Order of Merit.

"To be honest, I didn't really realise what that win in China really meant at the time," he confessed.

"But it's left me in a really good position where I can play in a lot of events and build on what I've done already.

"From February on I'll get into almost every event I want to and go from there."

Maybin opted to remain in America and play professional golf there after graduating from the University of South Alabama in 2001.

He stayed for a couple of seasons before deciding to try his hand in Europe three years ago.

Since then he's gone from strength to strength, forming a great partnership with Michael Hoey representing Ireland as they fought through qualifying in Aruba to battle with the cream of the game at last year's World Cup in China.

He went on to no less than nine top ten finishes on the Challenge Tour this year to comfortably earn his crack at the big time and the Race to Dubai.

"I'm not one for setting specific goals as such - I'm a believer in always trying to improve," he said.

"At times I have got too technical about my game and I'm trying to stop concentrating on that aspect of things.

"My game is about putting a round together and taking on the shot that I feel comfortable about - seeing the shot and then hitting it that way.

"It's the simple things that make the difference."

Maybin is part of a growing band of impressive talent gathering under the wing of Conor Ridge at the Horizon Sports management company in Dublin.

It's a group which also includes Hoey, McGeady and Caldwell - a college mate of Maybin's from Alabama as well as Gareth Shaw and Graeme McDowell.

"I've had great support all year, particularly from Michael," Maybin says.

"Obviously Graeme will be out on Tour and I don't know Rory McIlroy all that well but I'm looking forward to meeting up with him on Tour during the year.

"It'll be a challenge but it's one that I'm looking forward to."